Phonograph apparatus



' March 31, 1936. P. H SMYTHEJR v 2,036,103

PfiONOGRAPH. APPARATUS Filed March 14, 1955 5 91/ I fig. 2.. A I A r I I 1 1 INVENTOR. 19 f i" '21 g Paul ISIS 981ml):

J ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 31, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFlCE 2 Claims.

ratus.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved phonograph apparatus which is relad tively simple and inexpensive in construction and emcient in use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved selector carriage for an automatic phonograph;

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved selector carriage including a relatively stationary guide, a vertically movable element mounted on said guide for movement relative thereto, means for latching the verticalld ly movable element of the selector inraised. position relative to the guide, and a novel and imlid proved device for taking up the shock of the vertically movable element, and for causing the same to drop slowly and noiselessly when the said latchpp ing means is released from latching engagement.

relative to the said movable element of the selector.

An additional object of the invention is to prov vlde, in combination, a phonograph apparatus all including a selector carriage having a relatively stationary guide and a member guided by and vertically movable relative to said guide, means for latching the said movable element in raised position relative to the said guide; and a dash it pot for absorbing the shock of the vertically movable element of the selector carriage when the latter is released from latching engagement with the said guide and drops by gravity into its lowered position. Other objects will appear hereinafter. The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed; v

The invention will be best understood by reftll! erence to the accompanying drawing, showing the preferred form of construction and in which:

Fig. 1 is a sideelevational view showing the new apparatus; 1 Fig. 2 is an edge elevational view of the same, ill partly in section, and taken on line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

till

Fig. 3- is a'sectional view of the dash pot, taken on line 3--3 in Fig; 2;

. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the dash pot on line 4-4 in Fig. 3;, and

lid Fig. 5'is a. sectional view on record-selecting device on an automatic phonograph, and as much of said carriage as is necessary for an understanding of the present inven- 5 tion is shown in. the drawing, is therein general- 'l['his invention relates to phonograph appaline 5-5 in Fig. 1. l The present invention is concerned-with the ly indicated at it, and comprises a guide ll upon which a member it is slidably mounted for vertical movement relative to the guide l E. This slidable element it of the selector carriage is guided for vertical movement upon, and relative a to, the stationary guide member ll of the seleca tor, as shown in Fig. 5.

The movable element it of the selector has a serrated edge it. and latchingly engageable with this edge it is a latch dog it which is pivotally lilmounted upon the relatively stationary guide member M, the latch dog l5 serving to hold the movable element it in raisedposition relative to the guide member ll.

. The movable element it of the selector is prol6 vided with a lateral extension or arm it and carried by, and depending ironnthis extension it is a rod or plunger ll. Attached to the rod or plunger ll,-at the lower end of the latter, is a piston it which works in a cylinder it, they piston no it having an air-tight sealing engagement with the inner wall of the cylinder it and. the cylinder iii being provided with an air vent it adjacent. its lower end (Fig. 3).

The cylinder it may be supported in any suitan able manner, as by means of a bracket 22 attached to' the guide l l of the selector at the lower end of the same.

The piston rod ll, piston it, and the cylinder operates as follows:

When the movable element l2 of the selector is raised, (by means not shown), during the rec ord-selecting operation, the said movable elementis held in raised position, by the latching 35 engagement of the latch dog it with the serrated edge It, until such time as the latch dog it is moved out of latching engagement with the serrated edge ll (by means not shown).

When the latch dog it is moved-out of latchit ing engagement with the serratededge it of the movable element l2 of the selector, the movable element it falls or drops by gravity, relative to the guide H, and during this movement of the movable element l2 the-rod ll carried by the 45 movable element l2 drops therewith, thereby forcing the piston l8 downwardly in the cylinder l9 and against the pressure of the air' disposed in the area 2! of the cylinder l9 below the piston 18. 'This movement of the piston it compresses 5c the air in the area 2! of the cylinder l9 and forces the same out through the vent opening 20, thereby cushioning the fall of the movable element I! of the selector carriage and" causing the same to fall gradually whereas otherwise the said movlit it provide, in 'efiect, a dash pot, and the device til able element of the selector carriage would drop rapidly, causing noise and damage to the apparatus.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and mod'nication, without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire toavail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a phonograph apparatus, a record selector carriage including an elongated upright or vertically extending bar providing a guide and a member slidably mounted upon the said guide for vertical movement relative thereto; means for latching the said movable element in raised position relative to the said guide including a latch dog pivotally mounted upon said guide between the upper and lower end of the latter; a cylinder; a member carried by said movable element having a piston attached thereto and movable in said cylinder for cushioning the fall or drop of the said movable element, relative to the said latching the said movable element in raised position relative to the said guide including a latch dog'pivotally mounted upon the said guide between the upper and lower ends of the latter; a cylinder; a member carried by said movable ele ment having a piston attached thereto and movable in said cylinder; and means for supporting said cylinder from said guide.

PAUL H. SMYTHE, Jn. 

